About Sarah
“Your task is not to seek love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."
— Rumi
My Story
I was raised in the liberal California communities of Berkeley, Davis, and Santa Cruz by a therapist and a psychologist. I began my career teaching middle school in the SF Bay Area, eventually working with high school and international college students in both public and private settings. A lesser-known chapter of my journey includes several years in Thailand, where I worked in education and developed a deep interest in Buddhism. Over my 30-year career—including roles as middle school director and dean—I supported countless students navigating academic and social challenges, studying adolescent and emerging young adult development along the way.
I thought I knew tweens, teens and young adults inside and out. Then I had my own child.
In the early 2000’s, at age 40, I joined the legion of “older moms” in the Bay Area.
My daughter was bright, active and a joy to be with. My marriage ended amicably when she was 5 years, and I experienced the life of a single mom with a co-parent.
Flash forward.
The bubble burst when my daughter was 13 years old, and the illusion of my image of creating a happy family was shattered. For the subsequent year, we tried to use every local mental health service available at the time, including family training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). But those outpatient therapeutic services and our conventional parenting skills were not enough. Our family was struggling.
Despite everything I knew about adolescents, I could not even keep my own child safe.
In 2015, my family life felt like a paint-by-number picture where all the dots were out of order.
Reluctantly, we began the wilderness and residential treatment journey when our daughter was almost 15 years old. On the positive side, we knew she was safe, going to school everyday, and receiving therapeutic support. But despite all of this support, I still felt lost.
How did I find myself, and recover my family?
I wish there’d been a magic wand, but there wasn’t. All of this clinical support was great, but I needed more practical daily guidance and contact with parents who were going through the same traumatizing journey. I joined a local parent support group–led by other parents–and hired a parent coach.
Mindset Shifts Happen
Even though there’s no fairy dust to sprinkle on the situation of parenting a complicated child–when you’re worried every day–there is a kind of alchemy available when you get the right support. Having a parent coach whom I could call upon whenever I started to get anxious helped calm my own nervous system. And that’s when I began to learn the valuable lesson that I had been overfocusing on my daughter and needed to get my own internal house in order as well. Eventually, I started leading parent support groups—and filling in the gaps for other parents. And then I completed a parent coaching certification program in 2018.
Foundational Work
Stabilize you. Your kids need you to be calm and anchored in the midst of chaos or uncertainty
Clarify your values and needs so you can parent from a centered, grounded place
Shift your mindset to parent in ways that feel aligned with your values and create more connection, not conflict
My Coaching Philosophy and Approach
Practical Work
Build your parenting toolkit with strategies that create clarity and encourage growth
Develop or update family agreements and traditions that encourage clarity and accountability
Strengthen alignment between parents for more consistent, connected leadership
Notice and shift patterns at home that may be keeping your family stuck
Resilience Building
Shift from reacting to responding
Let go of what you can't control—and focus on what you can
Find moments of calm, even during chaos
Learn to track subtle signs of progress that might otherwise go unnoticed
Develop more tolerance for your own discomfort
Certification and Experience
Certificate of Parent Coaching, Parent Coach Professionals--Bend ORE, 2018
Master of Arts in Education (TESOL), School for International Training, 2009
Secondary Teaching Credential, Holy Names University, 1993
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, University of California, Berkeley, 1986
Member: International Coaching Federation (ICF) and National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP)
Parent Support Group Co-Leader: Family Sanity; Family Connections—NEABPD
Sarah also volunteers as an alumna C0-Facilitator for the La Europa Parent-to-Parent Support group.
Beyond years of supporting parents, I have worked extensively with tweens, teens and young adults in my capacity as a teacher and educational leader.
Embrace curiosity
Notice judgements
Slow things down
Breathe
The good news is that we can untangle conflict within our families: loosening communication knots is what coaching is all about.
“I’ve seen Sarah collaborate effectively with parents in all stages of their teenager’s journey to health and recovery. She has a gift for helping families figure out where they are stuck in unconscious or unhealthy patterns or behaviors. Parents tell me that Sarah is both gentle and encouraging in her coaching--and direct. She's willing to point out what’s not working from her perspective, if needed. This is exactly what helps parents build on the gains made during treatment.”
— Jennifer Taylor, Ed Consultant, JET ED